Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: The Nail That Sticks Up Most Gets Hammered Down
Chapter 97: The Nail That Sticks Up Most Gets Hammered Down
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“The President of Alpha has known me for many years. I’ve also promised my father that as long as the profits can be tripled this time, I’ll be allowed to return to the company. So, I hope everyone will work with me on this.” Cheng Gang’s face was filled with determination as he gestured for everyone to look at the big screen. He then said a lot about Alpha Corporation, indicating this project was a done deal.
Xing Shu sat calmly and suddenly laughed. Everyone was silent, so her laughter was especially abrupt. Cheng Song was the first to speak. Cheng Song pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and asked, “Is there something you would like to share, Xing Shu?”
Cheng Song was Old Master Cheng’s eldest son and Cheng Lang’s eldest brother. He was usually very refined—did not fight for anything—and kept a low profile. However, compared to the ruthless Cheng Gang, Xing Shu felt that Cheng Song was even harder to deal with. She had been in Cheng Corporation Group for three years and had never heard any bad words about Cheng Song. Regardless of the situation, Cheng Song managed to play the role of a peacemaker, without offending either side. His performance was barely passable but nobody could find any fault with him. For example, everyone present more or less expressed their dissatisfaction with Cheng Gang. But Cheng Song’s face was expressionless, as if he was listening to Cheng Gang seriously. Another instance is when he cast the spotlight on Xing Shu with a simple sentence and made her the nail—the nail that sticks up most gets hammered down.
Xing Shu held her fountain pen and looked up to meet Cheng Song’s gaze, which could be considered kind. However, Xing Shu had goosebumps. She shifted her gaze to Cheng Gang. Cheng Gang’s anger was palpable, and his eyes looked threatening. Xing Shu had long offended Cheng Gang, so she did not care about being the nail. “As an Internet company, Alpha fought with its rival company for a year last year and ultimately failed. I checked the information back then and felt that this company’s failure was inevitable. There were longstanding problems with the management, and the problem hasn’t been resolved yet. If we invest now, we might not be able to get back a single cent. Alpha Corporation will go bankrupt and restructure in less than two years.”
Xing Shu’s words were rather impolite. Cheng Gang’s face instantly turned glacial, and the muscles on his face twitched. It was obvious that he was furious. A few days ago, Chen Ru said that she wanted to annul the engagement between Cheng Xingyang and Xing Shu, and he was the one who stopped her. But, Xing Shu was not grateful and even dared to go against him in the company.
Cheng Gang narrowed his eyes. It seemed that if he did not get the position of Director back soon, there would be changes. “Xing Shu, you said that Alpha Corporation will go bankrupt and restructure in less than two years. Do you have evidence? This is their financial report for the entire year. Even after a year of trade war, their company is still profitable.”
Everyone was happy to pass the popcorn. No one spoke.
Xing Shu stood up—picked up the remote control at the side—and pointed the red laser pointer at the big screen. “The content here doesn’t explain clearly. Alpha Corporation fell into a trade war because their company was sued for infringing on the privacy of users. The opposing company merely exposed and condemned this behavior… The reason why Alpha Corporation landed where they are now is nothing more than that there’s a problem with their company’s behavior and values. During their developmental stage, they aggressively oppressed other small companies and relied on their large number of users to plagiarize the ideas of many entrepreneurs. Therefore, their company’s reputation is very bad, and their decisions this year are even more confusing. In my opinion, they signed their own death warrant.”
Everyone in the conference room nodded. Just as Xing Shu was about to take her seat, she heard Cheng Song say, “Xing Shu is right. Cheng Lang just launched Cheng Corporation Group’s management system not long ago. He values the compatibility between the company and employees very much.”
Xing Shu did not want to have anything to do with Cheng Song, but she had to admit that Cheng Song had said a lot. Cheng Lang indeed put a lot of stock on values. The leadership of Alpha Corporation had launched a total of five projects last year which led to intense competition. Although this had trained their company’s team, this kind of corporate culture of winners and losers was not good for the company’s development. Not only did Alpha Corporation compete maliciously within the company, but it had also committed many suits of plagiarism outside of the company. The company was fine for now because several members of the leadership had backers. However, the political and business worlds were volatile. Once their backers fell, countless lawsuits would await Alpha Corporation. Cheng Corporation Group would also be caught in the storm if they got involved with such a company..